Faculty Directory
Jay Powser
Assistant Professor | Computer Information Technology
They/Them/Theirs
- 412-327-4600
- jpowser@ccac.edu
- Allegheny Campus, CEIT 323
- Faculty office hours are available through self-service.
| Degree | Emphasis | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| M.S. | Information Security | Carnegie Mellon University |
| B.S. | Computer Science | University of Maryland University College |
| A.A.S. | Intelligence Studies | Air University |
| A.A. | Arabic | Defense Language Institute |
Biography
Jay Powser is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the intelligence community, having served as an airborne cryptologic language analyst and emerging technologies program manager for units in the 55th Wing. After completing their term of enlistment, they came to Pittsburgh for graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University.
Jay joins CCAC as an assistant professor in the Computer Information Technology department, specializing in Cybersecurity and secure programming. They are especially passionate about teaching Linux System Administration and the C programming language.
They are also an avid musician—a lead guitarist who plays with multiple Pittsburgh-based ensembles and who privately teaches composition and improvisation. Look for them at all kinds of events in the city and at the Glitterbox Theater in Homestead!
John L. Levitow Award winner from Mathies Airman Leadership School; top award in the Air Force's mandatory program for becoming a non-commissioned officer. This is not given for individual achievement, but the greatest contribution to the entire graduating class's success.
Completed the full Pittsburgh Marathon in 2023 and 2024. Going for it again in 2027! After that, maybe some ultras and triathlons!
Team member for quantum machine learning student project at CMU; built a quantum Boltzmann machine.
Jamming with other faculty during the Labor Day parade in 2026
I love the history and design of UNIX environments and how they intertwine with the history of the C Programming Language. This history is still influential in all software design and security considerations in the present day.
I've seen two full totality solar eclipses, and fairly recently! One was during 2017 in South Carolina; another was during 2024 in northern Pennsylvania.
"When one teaches, two learn." – attributed to Robert A. Heinlein